The GRE Verbal Reasoning Test: Intermediate Words: Intermediate, List 1

This list of intermediate words features a mixture of easier and more difficult words that you may be less familiar with. Study these words and watch your GRE score grow.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. broach
    bring up a topic for discussion
    I could see that he had something on his mind which he wanted to say, but felt some hesitancy about broaching the subject. Dracula
  2. burnish
    polish and make shiny
    After he applies the metal to the canvas, he burnishes and glazes it. Seattle Times (Feb 5, 2015)
  3. chasten
    censure severely
    “I hear that some of you decided to be prison guards instead of correction officers last night,” Sergeant Bloom chastened us. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing
  4. conciliatory
    intended to placate
    I knew I had been harsh, but I did not want to capsize the whole ship of negotiations, and I ended on a more conciliatory note. Long Walk to Freedom
  5. desultory
    marked by lack of definite plan, purpose, or enthusiasm
    With a desultory nod of his bored and sleepy head, the Level Crossing Divinity conjured up beggars with bandages, men with trays selling pieces of fresh coconut, parippu vadas on banana leaves. The God of Small Things
  6. dissemble
    make believe with the intent to deceive
    All the characters feel compelled — constantly, frenetically — to dissemble, lie and pretend to be what they are not. Washington Post (Jun 11, 2019)
  7. disseminate
    cause to become widely known
    And with the steady advances in telecommunications, they would soon be able to disseminate their own digital content in so many new ways to so many more people. The World Is Flat
  8. divulge
    make known to the public information previously kept secret
    I promise not to divulge her secrets, but for the first time, I ask her to return the favor. Before We Were Free
  9. forestall
    keep from happening or arising; make impossible
    The Japanese occupation of the Aleutian Islands was one of the least-known aspects of World War II, thanks to a U.S. government censorship campaign designed to forestall civilian panic about enemy encroachment on American soil. Seattle Times (Jan 23, 2014)
  10. ideological
    relating to the characteristic thinking of a group
    Anyone seen as being less patriotic than expected was suspected of being a Communist, a Communist sympathizer, or a Socialist—a slight ideological variation of Communism. 1919 The Year That Changed America
  11. imperturbable
    marked by extreme calm and composure
    Half smiling, with imperturbable brightness and friendliness, the Buddha looked steadily at the stranger and dismissed him with a hardly visible gesture. Siddhartha
  12. invective
    abusive language used to express blame or censure
    The Romans and Greeks chiseled stones with curses, the Vikings had nithing poles — wooden poles carved with invective — while the Japanese inscribed ill wishes on plaques called ema. New York Times (Sep 5, 2020)
  13. inveigh
    complain bitterly
    But beyond these aggrieved hordes, it can seem at times as if nearly everyone in the country is nursing wounds, cringing over slights and embarrassments, inveighing against enemies and wishing for retribution. Salon (Sep 1, 2018)
  14. irresolute
    uncertain how to act or proceed
    He stood a moment, took an irresolute step backward, then swerved suddenly and ran down a lane between two of the flower fields near the river. The Golden Goblet
  15. maverick
    someone who exhibits independence in thought and action
    Maybe it was because Baba had been such an unusual Afghan father, a liberal who had lived by his own rules, a maverick who had disregarded or embraced societal customs as he had seen fit. The Kite Runner
  16. oscillate
    be undecided about something
    He oscillated hourly between anguish and exhilaration, multiplying fantastically the grandeur of his victories and exaggerating tragically the seriousness of his defeats. Catch-22
  17. perturbed
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    The king cast a perturbed glance in my direction, and I realized he had forgotten his line. The Shakespeare Stealer
  18. prattle
    speak about unimportant matters rapidly and incessantly
    At three years of age, he prattles like my father did, but I attend to every lisping word he speaks. Ophelia
  19. succor
    assistance in time of difficulty
    “They are coming here for help. For succor and protection. We cannot turn our backs on them.” A Dance with Dragons
  20. talisman
    a trinket thought to be a magical protection against evil
    I hold these things up as talismans to protect me; all my awards are thin paper shields to keep me safe from the hatred that surrounds me and my friends. Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho
Created on Wed Nov 30 14:41:43 EST 2022 (updated Thu Jan 12 15:03:51 EST 2023)

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